Underwater mining



Feb. 28, 1967 l- L- HIRSHMAN ETAL UNDERWATER MINING Filed April 14, 19644 Sheets-Sheet 1 .E: &.l a

H (I? f 9 PM I I? o ll PH (19 (I28 4'? Z KT/ WFji dgll l llll\.lNFL?)'12 '14 .45 I44 62 3 G7 26 2S INVENTORS IRA L. H\RSHMAM,

ARCHER L. JONES (5 LUTHER ESPENCER ATTORNEY S Feb. 1967 L. HIRSHMAN ETAL3,

UNDERWATER MINING Filx ad April 14, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 EN L9 a k N nW INVENTORS IRA L. HlRBHMAN, x ARCHER L..JONE5 BY 6} LUTHER E. SPENCER WMl ATTORNEYS 1967 l. I... HIRSHMAN ETAL 3,305,950

UNDERWATER MINING 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 14, 1964 5.. S R Y m m Mm R EHOE O WSA w RLS A E \LER HMM W DHCT R U I n W w Mi I l 2 Q n 2 m Qw i 7.

[- L..H|RSHMAN ETAL Fgb. 28, 1967 UNDERWATER MINING 4 Sheets-Sheet 4Filed April 14, 1964 INVENTOR5 IRA L.H|I2SHMP1N,

ARCHER L.JONE5 b-LUTHER ESPENCER ATTORNEYS United States Patent3,305,950 UNDERWATER MINING Ira L. Hirshman, Newport News, Archer L.Jones, Hampton, and Luther E. Spencer, Newport News, Va., assignors toNewport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Va., acorporation of Virginia Filed Apr. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 359,742 18 Claims.(Cl. 3758) The present invention relates to underwater mining, and moreparticularly to mining operations which are carried out at great depthsbeneath the surface of the water. The underwater mining operationscontemplated in the present invention are particularly concerned withthe mining and recovering of solid substances from the floors andsubfloor regions of the sea.

The apparatus as illustrated in detail in the present application isalso generally illustrated and described in co-pending US. Patentapplication Serial No. 332,999 wherein the specific structure asillustrate-d in the instant application is shown in combination withother components employed in an over-all underwater mining operation.

While the apparatus of the present invention may be utilized in otherapplications, it is especially adapted for use in underwater miningoperations for recovering materials such as manganese nodules or othersolid materials which generally are present at depths from about 400feet to 12,000 feet or more beneath the surface of the sea.

This type of mining operation is carried out from a ship which movesalong the surface of the sea with a hollow conduit means or pipe meanssuspended therefrom in a generally vertical direction and having acollecting means at the lower end thereof for sweeping or traversing aparticular area of the sea bottom and collecting the desired material.This material is then suitably raised to the ship as by the utilizationof pumping means which produces movement of a stream of liquid from thecollecting means to the ship of sufficient velocity to entrain the solidmaterial and carry the solid material to the ship.

The present invention is particularly directed to the collecting meansat the lower end of the conduit means in an underwater mining operationas discussed above. The solid substance which the present invention isespecially suited to collect comprises manganese nodules which are solidgenerally spherical bodies normally ranging in size from small onesabout the size of a toy marble to large ones the size of basketballs oreven larger. As a practical matter, it is considered that mining ofnodules from about three quarters of an inch in diameter to about 6inches in diameter is the most economical and eflicient arrangement, andaccordingly, the collecting means of the present invention is providedwith separating means for eliminating or rejecting any solid bodieswhich do not fall within the desired size range.

Manganese nodules are usually found in areas where the sea bottom isrelatively smooth and flat, since these bottom conditions are mostconducive to formation of such nodules. It is accordingly necessary toprovide a collecting means including means for supporting the collectingmeans for ready movement along the sea bottom with a minimum amount ofdrag and which at the same time will ensure that the collecting meanswill contact and collect all of the desired nodules in its path as theapparatus sweeps through a given area. In the present invention, thesupport means takes the form of heavy-duty wheels which are rotatablymounted on the body means of the collecting means and which are adaptedto roll along the sea bottom. It is apparent that other means may beprovided for supporting the body means of the present invention,although the heavy-duty Wheels are considered the most practicable andsuitable for the purposes of the present invention.

The body means of the present invention in order to provide maximumrigidity and yet at the same time minimize weight is formed as an openframework com-prised of rigid elongated members which are interconnectedwith one another. The body means is provided with a throat portion, thisthroat portion having a first collecting opening formed therein forreceiving all of the collected solid bodies within the desired sizerange. The throat portion also includes a relief opening which issubstantially aligned with the collecting opening and which is normallyclosed :by a movable means, this movable means being movable into anopen position so as to permit discharge of collected solid bodiesthrough the relief opening when the throat portion may for one reason oranother become overloaded or jammed with solid bodies. This preventspermanent jamming and interruption of movement of the solid bodies fromthe collecting means and through the throat potrion.

The throat portion is additionally provided with a discharge openingwhich is operatively interconnected with the lower end of the conduitmeans through which the collected solid bodies are transported to theship traveling along the surface of the sea.

The body means is also provided with passage means formed therethrough,this passage means having opposite open end portions, and a pair ofpassages being preferably provided and opening at one open end thereofon opposite sides of the throat portion. The opposite open ends of eachof the passages are open to the surrounding water, the arrangement beingsuch that when the apparatus is in operation, the flow of water causedby the pumping means or the like through the discharge opening andupwardly through the conduit means will serve to additionally entrainfresh water through the passage means and into the side portions of thethroat portion. This entrainment of fresh water into the side portionsof the throat portion is of a sufiicient quantity such that about halfof the total volume of water sucked up through the discharge opening ofthe throat portion will comprise fresh water entrained through saidpassages.

This entrainment of fresh water, or in other words, clean, sand-freewater into the side portions of the throat portion serves a dualpurpose. Firstly, it helps to move nodules away from the side portionsof the throat portion thereby preventing an excessive buildup of nodulesalong the side areas of the throat portion. This assures that thedistribution of nodules will be substantially uniform within the throatportion and prevents an excessive buildup in any one location.Additionally, the entrainment of fresh water in a lateral direction intothe throat portion of the collecting means substantially reduces theamount of sand which will be sucked up from the sea bottom immediatelyadjacent the throat portion. This is, of course, a desirable featuresince it is only desired to suck up the nodules collected within thethroat portion of the apparatus, and it is desirable to bring up aslittle sand from the sea bottom as possible.

The means for eliminating solid bodies which are too large and too smalltakes the form of'first and second separating means, the firstseparating means being disposed adjacent the forward portion of the bodymeans, while the second separating means is positioned rearwardly of andspaced from the first separating means. Each of these separating meanstakes the form of laterally spaced tooth members the leading edges ofwhich are disposed in a particular angle with respect to thelongitudinal axis of the body means as hereinafter described.

It is apparent that the separating tooth members of the presentinvention will be subjected to severe wear conditions in use since theyare continuously contacting the relatively hard solid bodies as the bodymeans of the present invention is moved along the sea bottom. The toothmembers are preferably formed of a wear resistant material such as ahigh nickel steel and the like, and the tooth members are particularlyformed such that they may be quickly and easily removed and replaced asrequired due to the wear and tear occurring thereto. In order to providethis quick and easy replacement feature, the tooth members of thepresent invention are formed in small units including an integralcasting wherein two or more tooth members may be formed on a singlecasting, these castings being readily removable and replaceable asrequired.

Another feature of the present invention is the particular constructionand configuration of the tooth members of the second separating means ofthe present invention. These tooth members are specifically designed topermit solid bodies which are too small to pass therebetween and to beeliminated from the collecting means while larger bodies which have beenadmitted to the collecting means by the first separating means arecaused to then be moved to the throat portion of the apparatus. Thetooth members of the second separating means are accordingly providedwith a relatively narrow spacing between the leading edge portionsthereof while the portions of these tooth members extending rearwardlyof the leading edge portions are spaced apart a substantially widerdistance than the leading edge portions. This provides an expansion areabetween the tooth members immediately rearwardly of the leading edgeportions thereof so that the smaller solid bodies passing between theleading edge portions of these tooth members will not become jammed inthis relatively small space, but will move freely to the rear of thesetooth members as the body means progresses in its normal path ofmovement, the expansion area preventing jamming of the smaller solidbodies between the tooth members of the second separating means.

An additional feature of the present invention is the provision of anovel protective bumper means disposed at the forward central portion ofthe body means, this protective bumper means serving to preventexcessive damage to the body means should it encounter any sort of soliddebris at the sea bottom such as an old ship wreck and the like. Thisbumper means mounted at the forward central portion of the body meansnot only serves as a protective device against physical damage but alsoserves somewhat as a plow member in conjunction with a pair ofsupporting wheels disposed immediately rearwardly thereof, this plowarrangment serving to plow out the sand along the center line of thebody means as it moves along the sea bottom thereby diminishing theamount of loose sand which will be present adjacent the throat area ofthe body means.

An object of the present invention is to provide new and novelcollecting means which is especially adapted for use in underwatermining operations for collecting solid bodies or masses of material.

Another object of the invention is the provision of collecting meansincluding support means whereby the collecting means is readily movablealong the bottom of the sea and including a heavy-duty wheelconstruction for this purpose.

A further object of the invention is to provide collecting meansincluding separating means for ensuring that solid bodies are collectedonly within certain size limits, the solid bodies which are too large ortoo small being automatically rejected by the apparatus.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of collectingmeans including means for directing all of the collected solid bodies toa single throat portion from where the bodies are raised to a ship andthe like, and including means at the throat portion for entraining freshsurrounding water to prevent accumulation of the solid bodies at theside portions of the throat portion and to cause less sand from the seabottom to be sucked up and entrained along with the solid bodies.

A still further object of the invention is to provide collecting meanswherein said throat portion includes movable relief means at the throatportion to prevent jamming of solid bodies within the throat portion.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of collectingmeans including separating teeth which can be quickly and easily removedand replaced as required.

Still another object of the invention is to provide collecting meanswherein the second separating means for eliminating bodies which are toosmall includes a special tooth construction which prevents jamming ofthe smaller bodies between the tooth portions.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of collecting meansincluding a novel front end construction which provides a reinforcedbumper means to prevent damage to the body means of the apparatus andwhich also cooperates with certain support portions of the apparatus toplow out loose sand of the sea bottom along the center line of theapparatus to diminish the amount of loose sand adjacent the throat area.

A still further object of the invention is to provide collecting meanswhich is quite simple and inexpensive in construction and yet which issturdy and reliable in operation.

Other objects and many attendant advantages of the invention will becomemore apparent when considered in connection with the specification andaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the collecting means of the present inventionillustrating in phantom lines the manner in which the collecting meansmay be attached to the conduit means and suitable apparatus for towingthe collecting means;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the collecting means of the present inventionwhich also shows in phantom 'lines a portion of the conduit meansconnected with the collecting means;

FIG. '3 is a bottom view of a portion of the structure shown in FIGS. 1and 2;

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the structure shown in FIG. 2 partly brokenaway;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 55 of FIG. 4looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 66 of FIG. 5looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 7-7 of FIG. 6looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 8 is a side view of one of the rotatable support wheel assembliesof the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 99 of FIG. 8looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 10-10 of FIG.8 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line 1111 of FIG. 2 looking inthe direction of the arrows;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 12-12 of FIG.2. looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 1313 of FIG.2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view of a casting including a pluralityof separating tooth portions of the first separating means of theapparatus;

FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 1515 of FIG.2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 16 is a bottom perspective view of a casting including a pluralityof tooth portions of the second separating means of the apparatus; and

FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 17-17 of FIG.2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the bodymeans of the present invention is indicated generally by referencenumeral and as seen particularly in FIG. 1, a suitable truss portionindicated by phantom line 11 is provided for towing the body means alongthe sea bottom, this truss means being interconnected with the bodymeans by a suitable hinge connection indicated by phantom lines 12, aconduit means indicated by phantom line 13 being interconnected with thethroat portion of the body means hereinafter described. Members 11, 12and 13 form no part of the present invention and have been illustratedfor the purpose of illustrating the general arrangement of thecomponents and the manner in which the body means of the presentinvetion is adapted to be interconnected with the other components ofthe mining apparatus.

The body means of the present invention is composed of a plurality ofrigid interconnected members so disposed as to provide an open frameworkof maximum strength and at the same time being of relatively lightweight construction. The body means includes a forward end portion 15,this forward end portion including a pair of elongated substantiallyhorizontally disposed members 16 and 17 elongated substantiallyvertically extending members 17 and 18 being rigidly affixed to theforward portions of members 16 and 17 respectively as by welding or thelike and extending vertically upward-1y therefrom. Gusset platereinforcing members 21 are provided at spaced intervals between members16 and 18 and are rigidly affixed thereto, and the corresponding members22 are rigidly afiixed between members 17 and 19 to reinforce thestructure.

A protective bumper means is provided at the central forward portion ofthe body means and is indicated generally by reference numeral 25, thisbumper means including as seen particularly in FIG. 11 a large casting26 having a pair of cavities 26' and 26 formed therein as seen in thedrawings to provide a light weight construction. In actual practice,this casting may be on the order of 18 inches in height with theover-all front portion of the body means being approximately 19 /2inches in height, the over-all body means having a width ofapproximately 18 /2 feet and an over-all length of approximately 21feet. A top plate 28 is secured to the upper portion of casting 26 as bywelding and the like and is also fixedly secured in a similar manner tomembers 18 and 19 previously described.

The forwardmost end portions of members 16, 17, 18 and 19 are all weldedor similarly fixed to the side edges of the casting 26 so as to providea rigid protective bumper means at the forward end of the body means. Asseen in FIG. 11, a pair of channel members also extend forwardly and aresecured to the bumper assembly, these channel members 30 and 31extending rearwardly as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 to support therebetween apair of support means or rotatably mounted wheel assemblies which willbe hereinafter described in detail.

Channel members 30 and 31 are connected at their rearward ends to an Hbeam 37 which extends laterally of the body means and is secured at itsopposite ends to the rearmost ends of members 16 and 18 through theintermediary of a horizontal plate 38, and to the rearmost ends ofmembers 17 and 19 by a horizontal plate 39. A plurality of substantiallyparallel longitudinally extending channel members 42, 43, 44 and 45 aredisposed in spaced relationship with one another and parallel withchannel member 30, each of members 42 through 45 inclusive having theforward ends thereof secured to members 16 and 18 while the rearwardends thereof are fixed to the I-l-beam 37. A plurality of parallellongitudinally extending channel members 48, 49, 50 and 51 are providedparallel with channel member 31, each of members 48 through 51 inclusivehaving the forward ends thereof fixed to members 17 and 19, while therearward ends thereof are fixed to H-beam 37. Cross brace members 54,55, 56, 57, 58 and 59 are provided as illustrated for bracing andreinforcing the structure of the forward portion of the body means.

A pair of opposite lateral channel members 62 and 63 extendlongitudinally rearwardly from the opposite ends of the H-beam 37, thesemembers being connected with the opposite ends of an H-beam 65 whichextends laterally across the body means in parallel relationship withthe H-beam 37. A pair of lifting members 67 and 68 are fixed to the bodystructure at the opposite ends of H-beam 37, and a second pair oflifting members 69 and 70 are fixed to opposite sides of the bodystructure at opposite ends of the H-beam 65. These lifting memberscomprise heavy rigid members having eyes or holes formed in the upperreduced portions thereof for receiving lifting hooks and the likewhereby the body means may be readily handled with the use of a crane:or similar structure. For example, as seen in FIG. 12, lifting member68 includes a reduced upper portion 72 having a hole 73 formed therethrough. It will be understood that the remaining lifting members are ofsimilar construction.

A throat portion casting is indicated generally by reference numeral 72,this casting being connected with one end of elongated channel members73 and 74 the opposite ends of which are connected with the oppositeouter ends of the I-I-beam 65. A plurality of parallel longitudinallyextending channel members 75, 76, 77 and 78 have the rearward endsthereof connected with the forward por tion of the throat portioncasting, the opposite forward ends of these channel members beingconnected with the H-beam 65.

An elongated member 80 disposed substantially parallel with member 73has one end portion thereof connected with the outer end of H-bearn 37and plate 38, the opposite end of member 80 being connected with channelmember 76. A substantially vertically extending member 81 is secured tothe forward portion of member 80 and extends vertically upwardlythereof, member 81 also having the opposite ends thereof connected withthe outer end of H-beam 37 and plate 38 and with channel member 76. Aplurality of spaced gusset reinforcing members 82 are rigidlyinterconnected between members 80 and 81 to rigidify the structure. Asubstantially horizontally ex,- tending member 85 is disposedsubstantially parallel with channel member 74 and has one end thereofconnected to the outer end of H-beam 37 and plate 39 while the oppositeend thereof is connected with channel member 77. A substantiallyvertically extending member 86 is secured to the forward portion ofmember 85 and extends upwardly therefrom, one end of member 86 beingrigidly secured to the outer end of H-beam 37 and plate 39 while theopposite end thereof is fixed to channel member 77. A plurality ofspaced reinforcing gusset plates 87 are secured between members 85 and86 for rigidifying the structure.

A pair of channel members 90 and 91 are connected between H-beam 37 andmember 81. A pair of aligned channel members 92 and 93 are connectedbetween members 81 and 82 and H-beam 65. A channel member 95 isconnected between H beam 37 and a reinforced access portion 97hereinafter described. A plurality of parallel longitudinally extendingchannel members 100, 101, 102, 103, 104 and 105 are connected betweenH-beams 37 and 65.

A channel member is connected between H-beam 37 and reinforced accessmeans 111 similar to means 97 and hereinafter more fully described. Apair of channel members 115 and 116 are connected between H-beam 37 andmember 86. A pair of aligned channel members 117 and 118 are connectedbetween members 85, 86 and the H-beam 65.

A pair of parallel channel member 120 and 121 have first end portionsthereof connected with H-bearn 65 and the opposite end portions thereofconnected with channel member 73. A channel member 122 has a forward endthereof connected with the reinforced access means 97 and the rearwardend thereof is connected with channel member 73. A channel member 123has a forward end thereof connected with members 80 and 81 while therearward end thereof is connected with channel member 73. A channelmember 124 is aligned with channel member 123 and has the forward endthereof connected with H-beam 65 and the rearward end thereof connectedwith member 81. A channel member 125 has the forward end thereofconnected with a side portion of the throat portion casting, while therearward end thereof is connected with channel member 123. It will benoted that channel means 75 includes a first channel member 75 connectedbetween the forward portion of the casting 72 and members 8G and .81,while the second portion 75" of channel member 75 is connected betweenmember 81 and the H-beam 65.

A pair of parallel channel members 131) and 131 have the forward endsthereof connected with H-beam 65 while the rearward ends thereof areconnected with channel member 74. A channel member 132 has the rearwardend thereof connected with channel member 74 and the forward end thereofconnected with the reinforced access means 111. A channel member 133 hasthe forward end thereof connected with members 85 and 86 and therearward end thereof is connected with channel member 74. A channelmember 134 is aligned with channel member 133, channel member 134 havingthe forward end thereof connected with H-beam 65 and the rearward endthereof connected with member 86. A channel member 135 has the forwardend thereof connected with the side portion of the casting 72 while therearward end thereof is connected with channel member 133. It will be.noted that channel means 78 includes a first channel member 78' havingthe forward end thereof connected with members 85 and 86 and therearward end thereof connected with the forward facing surface ofcasting 72. The portion 78 of channel means 78 has the forward endthereof connected with H-beam 65 and the rearward end thereof connectedwith member 86.

A wheel assembly 140 is mounted between channel members 62 and 92 at onelateral midportion of the body means, and a corresponding wheel assembly141 is connected between channel members 63 and 118 at the opposite sideof the body means. A wheel assembly 142 is mounted between channelmembers 121 and 122, and a wheel assembly 143 is mounted between channelmembers 123 and 75'. A wheel assembly 144 is mounted between channelmembers 131 and 132, and a further wheel assembly 145 is connectedbetween channel members 133 and 78'. It will be noted that the firstdescribed pair of wheel assemblies 34 and 35 are mounted along thelongitudinal axis XX of the body means, and that the body means isadditionally substantially symmetrical about this longitudinal axis.These two forward wheel assemblies serve in conjunction with theprotective bumper means 25 to provide a plowing effect as previouslydiscussed. It will be noted that the remaining wheel assemblies 140through 145 inclusive are mounted on opposite sides of the longitudinalaxis XX and are staggered in a rearward direction to provide aneffective stabrle support for the body means when moving over the seabottom.

The body means includes along the forward portion thereof a firstseparating means, this separating means disposed on either side of thelongitudinal axis of the body means. The separating means of the presentinvention takes the form of a plurality of depending spaced toothmembers or portions which extend downwardly and in the normal operativeposition of the device are spaced slightly from the underlying seabottom. It should be noted at this point that in the various figures ofthe drawing wherein a phantom line is illustrated spaced slightly belowthe structure, this phantom line represents the bottom of the sea, theremaining structure except for the wheels being spaced slightly abovethe sea bottom so as not to be in contact therewith as the apparatusmoves along the sea bottom.

As discussed previously, it is highly desirable to provide toothportions which can be readily removed and replaced as desired, and inorder to accomplish this purpose in the present invention, the toothportions of the first separating means are formed as integral castingsas seen for example in FIG. 14 wherein the casting in general isindicated by reference numeral 150. This casting includes a flatplate-like portion 151 from which extends a pair of upwardly spacedstuds 153 at opposite ends of the plate, three of these studs beingvisible in FIG. 14. A pair of tooth members 155 formed integral with theplate 151 depend from and include leading edge portions 157 which aredisposed at an angle with respect to the side surfaces of the toothmembers or portions. It will be understood that the side surfaces ofthese tooth members are spaced apart a certain predetermined distance,which in the present instance may be 6 inches so as to permit only solidbodies 6 inches in diameter or smaller to pass therebetween.

As seen particularly in FIG. 3, seven of these castings are disposed oneither side of the longitudinal axis of the body means, the sevendisposed on one side being illustrated by reference numeral 150, andseven similar castings 150' are mounted on the opposite side of thelongitudinal axis, one of these castings being visible in FIG. 3 andincluding depending tooth portions identical with the tooth portions155. It will also be understood that the size of the castings is suchthat adjacent tooth portions on different castings will also be spacedapart the predetermined distance such as 6 inches so that the spacing isuniform along the forward portion of the apparatus.

The leading edge portions 157 of the tooth members 155 are so disposedthat they lie in a plane and define an angle a as illustrated in FIG. 3of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis XX ofthe body means. It will be understood that the leading edge portions ofthe tooth members 155' of the castings 150' on the opposite side of thelongitudinal axis are similarly disposed. This angularity of the leadingedge portions of the tooth members is such as to cause any solid bodieswhich are contacted during movement of the body means to be shunted tothe side such that solid bodies which are too large will eventually becarried outwardly to the side edge portions and pass around the bodymeans. It will be understood that in normal operation of the apparatus,the body means will be movable along a direction corresponding with thelongitudinal axis XX of the body means, the previously described forwardedge portion of the apparatus being movable and facing in such forwarddirection of normal operative movement.

The castings 150 are mounted in operative position by inserting thestuds 153 of the castigs upwardly through suitable openings provided inmember 17 or member 16 at the other side of the body means, whereuponsuitable nuts are threaded onto the upper ends of the studs and wired inposition to secure them in place. The nuts are indicated by referencenumerals 154 and 154 in FIG. 2 of the drawings. It is apparent that thisarrangement permits quick and easy replacement of the castings and thetooth portions of the first separating means as required.

Referring now to FIG. 16 of the drawings, a typical casting employed forproviding the tooth portions of the second separating means of thepresent invention is illustrated. This casting is indicated generally byreference numeral 160 and includes a plate-like body portion 161 fromwhich extends upwardly a pair of threaded studs 163 at each end thereof,three of these studs being visible in FIG. 16. A plurality of spaceddepending tooth portions 165 shown as being five in number are providedintegral with the casting and serve as the separating tooth members foreliminating solid bodies which are too small and ensuring that onlysolid bodies within the desired size range are accumulated and passedthrough the throat portion of the body means.

Castings 166 are mounted in operative position by inserting the studs163 upwardly through suitable openings provided in member 85, nuts 164being threaded on the upper ends of studs 163 and wired in place to holdthe castings in their proper operative position. It will be understoodthat corresponding castings 160' will be provided on the opposite sideof the longitudinal axis XX of the body means, castings 160' being thereverse arrangement of castings 160 in a similar manner to that in whichthe castings 150' are the reverse arrangement of castings 150.

As seen particularly in FIG. 3, each of the tooth portions 165 ofcastings 160 includes a leading or forward edge portion 170 and arearward portion 171. It will be noted that the leading or forward edgeportions 170 are closely spaced to one another so as to provide anopening of approximately three quarters of an inch therebetween so thatsolid bodies three quarters of an inch in diameter or smaller will passtherebetween and rearwardly of the apparatus so as not to be collectedthereby. On the other hand, any bodies larger than three quarters of aninch in diameter will not pass between the leading edge portions ofthese tooth members and will be directed inwardly to the throat portionof the body means. By spacing the rearward or trailing edge portions 171of each of the tooth members 160 a substantially greater distance apartthan the leading edge portions thereof, an expansion space is providedbetween the tooth members immediately rearwardly of the leading edgeportions thereof which prevents jamming of the small particles betweenthese tooth portions to ensure that they will not become clogged andjammed during operation of the apparatus.

Furthermore, as seen in FIG. 3, the leading edge portions 170 of thetooth portions 165 lie substantially in a plane and define an angle b ofapproximately 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis X-X ofthe body means. This angularity ensures that the solid bodies which passbetween the first separating means tooth portions and which do not passoutwardly between the tooth portions 165 will be directed laterallyinwardly to the central or longitudinal axis of the body means as thebody means moves forwardly.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 2 and 17 of the drawings, theconstruction of the reinforced access means 111 will be clearlyunderstood, the access means 97 being of identical construction, and thedescription of means 111 sufiicing to define'the structure of each ofthese arrangements. A flat plate means 175 having a central opening 176formed therethrough is secured to the upper surface of members 86, 65,110 and 132. From this plate depend a plurality of plates 176, 177, 178and 179 which define a substantially rectangular enclosing structure.These members are rigidly secured to members 110, 65 and 85respectively, it being understood that the H-beam means 65 is cut awayat this portion to receive members 85 and 86 which extend therethrough.The central opening 176 formed in plate 175 permits access to the nuts164 whereby the castings therebeneath can be readily attached andremoved when desired. It will be understood that reinforce access means97 includes a plate 98 similar to plate 175, plate 98 being providedwith a central access opening 99 for gaining access to the nuts disposedtherebeneath.

Referring now to FIGS. 8, 9 and of the drawing, a typical rotatablewheel assembly is illustrated, and the description of this typicalassembly will suffice for describing the structure of each and every oneof the wheel assemblies previously referred to herein. As seen in thesethree figures, a pair of supporting channel members are indicated by Xand Y, these channel members representing any adjacent pair of channelmembers which support one of the wheel assemblies of the presentinvention. A pair of plates 182 and 183 may be provided in suitablecutouts provided in the vertical web portion of the channel members Xand Y, these plate members being suitably secured in operative positionas by welding or the like. A pair of cross brace members 185 and 186extend completely across between the vertical webs of the flangemembers, and a pair of reinforcing gusset members 187 and 188 aredisposed between plates 182 and 183 and the associated channel members Xand Y respectively.

A pair of flat plates 190 and 191 are each provided with a pair ofspaced openings which receive cap screws 192 and 193 respectively whichextend upwardly through the openings provided in members 190 and 191 andare threaded into correspondingly threaded openings provided in theplate members 182 and 183 respectively. A pair of protective platemembers 195 and 196 are welded together to provide a six-sidedcross-sectional configuration as seen in FIG. 10, these plate membersdepending in completely surrounding relationship to the remainder of thewheel assembly so as to provide protection thereto and ensure that thewheel assembly will not be damaged by contact with external objects.Plate members 195 and 196 may be provided with suitable cutouts forreceiving plates 190 and 191 respectively.

A pair of plates 200' and 201 extend longitudinally of the wheelassembly, plate 200 being secured at its 0pposite ends to spacedportions of plate 196, while plate 201 is connected at opposite endsthereof to spaced portions of plate 195. Support member 202 is securedbe tween plate 200 and plate 196, While a support member 203 is securedbetween plate 201 and plate 195. Support members 202 and 203 as Well asplates 200 and 201 are provided with aligned openings for receiving apin 205, this pin being received at opposite ends thereof within cutoutsprovided in plates 195 and v196, the pin being held in operativeposition by a snap ring 206 or the like.

A suitable bushing 210 of an antifriction material is supported on pi-n205, and a pair of washers 211 and 212 of a similar material to that ofbushing 210 are also supported on the pin. The wheel itself is indicatedgenerally by reference numeral 215 and includes a central portion 216which may comprise cast aluminum or the like with a tread 217 of asuitable material such as rubber or the like. It is apparent that thewheel assembly of the present invention provides a very heavy-duty andrugged construction, the entire assembly being rigidly mounted in placeand yet the wheels may readily removable, while the entire assembly isalso adequately protected during use so as to prevent dam-age thereto.

Referring now to FIGS. 5, '6 and 7 of the drawings,

the details of construction of the casting 72 or throat portion of thebody means are illustrated. As seen in these figures, the casting 72includes a forwardly directed collecting opening 225 which receives allof the collected solid bodies which have been separated by the toothportions previously described. These collected bodies pass inwardlythrough the forwardly facing collecting opening 225 into the throatportion which includes inner side Wall portions 230 and 231 as see-n inFIG. 6. These side wall portions extend upwardly and define at the upperend thereof an upwardly facing discharge opening 233 through which allof the collected bodies move upwardly into the conduit means connectedwith the collecting means of the present invention.

The throat portion is also provided with a relief opening 235 which issubstantially aligned with the collecting opening 225. This reliefopening 235 is normally closed by a movable relief means or gate 237which is mounted for pivotal movement about the pivotal axes indicatedat 235. It is apparent that the gate member 237 will normally drop downinto the position illustrated in FIG. 5 to close off the relief opening,and furthermore the suction of the water being entrained upwardlythrough the discharge opening 233 will normally tend to hold the member237 in its closed position. 0n the other hand, if for some reason thesolid bodies should accumulate within the throat portion to such 'anextent that they apply a substantial pressure to the inwardly facingsurface of member 237, this member may then swing into its ope-nposition to permit discharge of solid bodies through the relief openingso as to prevent the jamming or excessive clogging of solid bodieswithin the throat portion.

Casting 72 includes a top wall portion 24% which defines a laterallyextending peripheral flange around the discharge opening 233, thisflange having a pluarlity of spaced threaded openings 242 providedtherethrough for attaching the conduit means to the throat portion ofthe collecting means of the present invention.

The casting includes an intermediate wall portion 230 and 231' disposedbetween an outer wall portion 230" and 231", wall portions 230 and 230'defining a cavity 243 t-herebetween and including a bracing wall portion244 extending between these two wall portions. Wall portion 231 and 231define a cavity 246 therebetween, a bracing wall portion 247 extendingbetween wall portions 231 and 231.

A passage means 250 is defined between inter-mediate wall portion 230and an outer wall portion 230", this passage means being divided in halfby a laterally extending wall portion 252. A corresponding passage means254 is provided between wall portions 231' and 231", this passage meansbeing divided in half by an intermediate laterally extending wallportion 256.

It will be noted that the upper end portions of each of the passages 250and 254 open upwardly to the surrounding water, while the lower open endportions of each of the passage means open into opposite lateral sidesof the throat portion. During operation of the apparatus, fresh waterwill be entrained through these two passage means as indicated by thearrows and will discharge into lateral side portions of the throat areaso as to prevent the accumulation or buildup of solid bodies at suchside portions. In addition, as discussed previously this lateralentrainment of fresh water reduces the amount of sand which is suckedupwardly through the discharge outlet 233.

It is apparent from the foregoing that there is provided according tothe present invention new and novel collecting means which is especiallyadapted for use in underwater mining operations for collecting solidmasses or bodies of material, The collecting means may be readily movedalong the bottom of the sea and includes novel heavy-duty wheelassemblies which permit ready movement of the body means and at the sametime can be disassembled with ease while providing adequate protectionto ensure that the wheel assemblies are not damaged by external objects.The first and second separating means of the apparatus ensure that onlysolid bodies within certain size ranges Will be collected while largerand smaller bodies are eliminated and rejected by the apparatus, Theapparatus includes means for directing all of the collected solid bodiesto a sing-1e throat portion from where the bodies are raised to a shipor the like. Means is provided at the throat portion of the body meansfor entraining fresh surrounding water to prevent accumulation of solidbodies at the side portions of the throat area and to cause less sandfrom the sea bottom to be sucked up and entrained along with the solidbodies. This throat portion also includes a movable relief means in theform of a gate or the like which is normally closed during operation butwhich may swing into open position to permit the discharge of solidbodies should the solid bodies accumulate to an excessive degree in thethroat portion. The tooth means of the present invention are formed asseparate and individual castings which permits these various toothportions to be quickly and easily removed and replaced as required. Thetooth construction of the second gathering means is of special interestsince it includes an expansion area between the tooth membersimmediately rearwardly of the leading edge portion thereof so as toensure that there will not be jamming between these adjacent toothportions. The body means of the present invention also incorporates anovel front end construction which provides reinforced bumper means toprevent damage to the body means and which also cooperates with a pairof support wheels immediately rearwardly thereof to plow out sand alongthe center line of the body means as it moves along in operation todiminish the amount of loose sand in the throat area of the apparatus.It is also apparent that the collecting means of the present inventionis quite simple and inexpensive in construction and yet at the same timeis quite sturdy and reliable in operation.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the presentembodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, and since thescope of the invention is defined by the appended claims, all changesthat fall within the metes and bounds of the claims or that form theirfunctional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents are thereforeintended to be embraced by those claims.

We claim:

1. Collecting means comprising a body means, support means operativelyconnected with said body means for supporting said body means formovement along a supporting surface, said body means including a forwardportion and a rearward portion, first separating means mounted at theforward portion of said body means and comprising a plurality of spacedmembers, second separating means disposed rearwardly of said firstseparating means and comprising a plurality of spaced members, thespacing of the members of the first separating means serving toeliminate solid bodies which are too large and the spacing of themembers of the second separating means being spaced so as to eliminatesolid bodies which are too small, whereby the collecting means serves tocollect only solid bodies within a certain size range, said body meansincluding a portion for receiving all of the collected solid bodieswithin said size range from where the solid bodies are removed from thecollecting means.

2. Collecting means comprising a body means, means supporting said bodymeans for movement along the bottom of the sea, said body meansincluding a forward portion and a rearward portion, first separatingmeans mounted at the forward portion of said body means and facingforwardly in the direction of movement of said body means along thebottom of the sea, said first separating means comprising a plurality ofspaced depending tooth members spaced apart a certain distance so as toreceive solid bodies therebetween which are no larger than apredetermined size thereby eliminating solid bodies which are too large,second separating means supported by said body means rearwardly of saidfirst separating means, said second separating means being spaced fromsaid first separating means, said second separating means comprising aplurality of spaced depending tooth members, said tooth members of saidsecond separating means being spaced apart from one another apredetermined distance so as to permit solid bodies to pass therethroughwhich are undesired and which are too small thereby ensuring that onlyparticles within a predetermined size range are collected by thecollecting apparatus, said body means including a throat portion havingan opening facing in a generally forward direction for receiving thecollected solid bodies within said size range, said throat 13 portionalso including a discharge opening through which the collected bodiesare removed from the collecting means.

3. Collecting means comprising a body means, said body means including aforward portion and a rearward portion and being movable in a directiongenerally corresponding with a longitudinal axis of the body meansextending from the central rearward portion of the body means to thecentral forward portion of the body means, means supporting said bodymeans for movement along a supporting surface, first separating meanssupported by said body means at the forward portion thereof andcomprising a plurality of laterally spaced tooth members, said toothmembers being spaced apart a predetermined distance so as to receivetherebetween only solid bodies which are less than a given dimension soas to eliminate solid bodies which are too large, said tooth membershaving leading edge portions facing in the direction of movement of saidbody means, said leading edge portions forming an acute angle withrespect to the said longitudinal axis of said body means, secondseparating means supported by said body means rearwardly of said firstseparating means and comprising a plurality of spaced tooth membersspaced apart a predetermined distance so as to permit solid bodies whichare too small to pass therebetween so as to prevent the collection ofsolid bodies which are too small, whereby solid bodies only within apredetermined size range are collected by the apparatus, said toothmembers of said separating means including leading edge portions facingin the direction of movement of the body means, said last-mentionedleading edge portions forming an acute angle with respect to saidlongitudinal axis of the body means, said body means including a throatportion at the rear portion thereof for receiving all of the solidbodies collected by said first and second separating means, said throatportion also including a discharge opening through which the solidbodies are removed from the collecting means.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the tooth members of each ofsaid first separating means and said second separating means aredetachably secured to a said body mean-s for ready removal andreplacement as required.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the leading edge portions ofthe tooth members of each of said separating means define an angle ofapproximately 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis of saidbody means, the leading edge portions of said'first separating meansdefining an angle of approximately 90 degrees with respect to theleading edge portions of said tooth members of the second separatingmeans.

6. Collecting means comprising body means including a forward portionfacing in the direction of movement of said body means during normaloperation, said body means also including a rearward portion, meanssupporting said body means for movement along the bottom of the sea,first separating means mounted at the front portion of said body meansand including a plurality of laterally spaced members spaced apart at apredetermined distance so as to permit only solid bodies of apredetermined size to pass therebetween thereby eliminating solid bodieswhich are too large, second separating means supported by said bodymeans rearwardly of said first separating means and spaced therefrom,said second separating means including a plurality of laterally spacedmembers spaced apart a predetermined distance so as to permit solidbodies which are too small to pass therebetween thereby retaining in thecollecting means only solid bodies within a certain predetermined sizerange, said body means including a throat portion disposed at the rearportion thereof, said throat portion including a generally forwardlydirected opening for receiving all of the solid bodies collected by saidfirst and second separating means within said predetermined size range,means directing all of the collected solid bodies into and through thesaid opening of said throat portion, said throat portion also includinga discharge opening extending in a generally upward direction throughwhich the collected solid bodies are removed from the collecting means.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said throat portion includesa movable relief means, said throat portion including a relief openingsubstantially aligned with the opening which receives said collectedsolid bodies, said relief means being mounted in position so as tonormally close said relief opening and being movable to an open positionfor opening said relief opening and discharging solid bodies from saidthroat portion upon the accumulation and pressure on said relief meansof solid bodies within said throat portion.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said movable relief meanscomprises a pivotally mounted closure member which is supported fromsaid throat portion and normally closes said relief opening under theinfluence of gravity plus pressure differentials operating thereon andbeing swingable into open position upon the accumulation and pressurethereon of solid bodies within said throat portion.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said body means includesauxiliary passage means formed therein, opposite ends of said passagemeans being open, one of said open ends of said passage means openinginto the surrounding water, the opposite open end of said passage meansopening into said throat portion at a lateral portion thereof forentraining fresh water into the lateral portion of said throat portion.

10. Collecting means comprising a body means including a plurality ofinterconnected rigid members to define an open framework, support meansfor supporting said body means for movement along the bottom of the sea,said body means including a longitudinal axis with the body means beingmovable in a direction substantially coincidental with said longitudinalaxis, said body means extending laterally to either side of saidlongitudinal axis, said body means including a forward portion facing inthe direction of movement of said body means and an opposite rearwardportion, first separating means mounted at the forward portion of saidbody means, said first separating means comprising a plurality of spacedtooth members disposed in depending relationship from said body meansand removably attached thereto for ready replacement as required, eachof said tooth members including leading edge portions facing in thedirection of movement of said body means, said leading edge portionsdefining an angle of approximately 45 degrees with respect to thelongitudinal axis of said body means, second separating means supportedby said body means rearwardly of said first separating means and spacedfrom said first separating means, said second separating meanscomprising a plurality of spaced tooth members disposed in dependingrelationship to said body means and being removably attached thereto,each of the tooth members of said second separating means includingleading edge portions which are disposed at an :angle of approximately45 degrees to the longitudinal axis of said body means, the leading edgeportions of the tooth members of said first separating means beingdisposed at approximately an angle of degrees with respect to theleading edge portions of the tooth members of said second separatingmeans, the tooth members of said first and second separating means beingspaced apart from one another predetermined distances so as torespectively eliminate solid bodies which are too large and solid bodieswhich are too small so as to ensure the collection of solid bodies onlywithin predetermined size ranges, said body means including a throatportion disposed at the central rearward portion of said body means,said throat portion including a collecting opening facing in a generallyforward direction so as to receive all of the collected solid bodieswhich are collected by said first and second separating means, saidthroat portion also including a discharge opening through which all ofthe collected solid bodies are removed from the collecting means, saidthroat portion also including a relief opening through which solidbodies may be discharged from said throat portion, means normallyclosing said relief opening and being movably supported by said bodymeans for movement to an open position to permit discharge of solidbodies from said throat portion, and said body means having passagemeans formed therein with opposite open ends, one open end of saidpassage means being in communication with the surrounding water whilethe opposite open end of said passage means opens at a lateral portionof said throat portion whereby fresh water is entrained into the sideportions of said throat portion during normal operation of thecollecting means.

11. Apparatus as defined in claim wherein said means supporting saidbody means for movement along the sea bottom comprises a plurality ofwheels rotata-bly supported by said body means and being longitudinallyand laterally spaced with respect to one another.

12. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said wheels comprise a pairof wheels mounted along said longitudinal axis at the forward portion ofsaid body means, and a plurality of laterally spaced wheels mountedadjacent the rearward portion of said body means and spaced asubstantial distance rearwardly of said firstmentioned wheels.

13'. Apparatus as defined in claim 12 wherein said body means includes aprotective bumper means mounted along said longitudinal axis of the bodymeans and disposed at the forward portion of the body means forwardly ofsaid pair of wheels disposed along said lo-ngitudinal axis.

14. Apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein the tooth members of saidfirst separating means as well as the tooth members of said secondseparating means are formed as castings wherein each casting includes aplurality of integral tooth members, said castings being removablyattached to said body means for ready removal and replacement.

15. Collecting means comprising a body means formed of a plurality ofelongated substantially rigid members secured to one another to providea reinforced open framework, said body means including a forward portionfacing in the direction of normal movement of said body means duringoperation and an opposite rearward portion, said body means being formedsubstantially symmetrically about a longitudinally extending axisextending from the central rearward portion of said body means to thecentral forward portion thereof, support means supporting said bodymeans for movement along the sea bottom, said support means com-prisinga plurality of wheels rotatably supported by said body means, saidwheels serving to support said body means in slightly spacedrelationship with respect to the supporting sea bottom in normaloperation, said wheels including a first pair of wheels disposed alongsaid longitudinal axis and disposed at the forward portion of said bodymeans, said Wheels also including a plurality of laterally spaced wheelsdisposed on opposite sides of said longitudinal axis and spacedrearwardly of said first-mentioned wheels, said body means including aprotective bumper means disposed at the forward central portion thereofimmediately in front of said first-mentioned pair of wheels, firstseparating means supported at the forward portion of said body means anddepending therefrom, said first separating means including a pluralityof spaced tooth members, said tooth members being disposed in laterallyspaced relationship with one another with each tooth member disposedoutwardly of an adjacent tooth member with respect to said longitudinalaxis also being disposed rearwardly of said adjacent tooth member, theleading edge portions of said tooth members facing in the direction ofmovement of said body means lying substantially in a plane and definingan angle of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the saidlongitudinal axis of said body means, said tooth members being removablymounted on said body means, said tooth members being spaced from oneanother in a lateral direction with respect to said longitudinal axis soas to define forwardly facing openings between the tooth members of saidfirst separating means of a dimension to receive solid bodies which areless than a predetermined dimension so as to eliminate solid bodieswhich are too large, second separating means supported by said bodymeans rearwardly of said first separating means and spaced therefrom,said second separating means comprising a plurality of dependinglaterally spaced tooth members, said last-mentioned tooth members beingso arranged that each tooth member spaced inwardly of an adjacent toothmember with respect to said longitudinal axis is also spaced rearwardlyof said adjacent tooth member with the leading edge portions of saidlastmentioned tooth memlbers lying substantially in a plane and definingan angle of approximately 45 degrees with respect to said longitudinalaxis and an angle of approximately degrees with respect to the leadingedge portions of said tooth members of the first-separating means, thetooth members of said second separating means being movably mounted onsaid body means, said body means including a throat portion disposed atthe central rearward portion of said body means, said throat portioninciuding a collecting opening, a discharge opening and a reliefopening, said collecting opening facing in a forward direction so as toreceive all of the solid bodies collected by said collecting means, thetooth members of said second separating means being spaced from oneanother a predetermined distance so as to permit solid bodies smallerthan a predetermined dimension to pass therebetween thereby eliminatingsolid bodies which are too small and whereby the collecting means servesto collect solid bodies only within a certain size range, the reliefopening of said throat portion being substantially aligned with saidcollecting opening and facing rearwardly of sad throat portion, movablemeans normally closing said relief opening and being movable into aposition for opening said relief opening to discharge solid bodiestherethrough, said discharge opening facing substantially in an upwarddirection and providing an opening through which all of the collectedbodies are removed from the collecting means, said body means includinga pair of passage means disposed on opposite sides of said throatportion, each of said passage means including a first open end whichopens into the surrounding water, each of said passage means includingan opposite open end which opens into one side portion of said throatportion for entraining fresh water into said throat portion duringoperation of the apparatus.

16. Apparatus as defined in claim 15 including means mounted at oppositelateral side portions of said body means for receiving lifting means tofacilitate handling of the collecting means.

17. Apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein each of the tooth membersof said second separating means includes a leading edge portion which isclosely spaced to the leading edge portion of the adjacent tooth member,the remaining rearwardly extending portions of said tooth members beingspaced apart a substantialy greater distance to provide an expansionarea between the adjacent tooth members rearwardly of the leading edgeportions thereof.

18. Apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein said means for closing saidrelief openingcomprises a gate member pivotally supported at the upperportion thereof by said body means and swingable downwardly under 17 theinfluence in gravity into a position so as to close off said reliefopening, said gate means being swingable into an open position uponapplication of pressure to the inwardly facing surface thereof by solidbodies accumulated Within said throat portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 317,080 5/1885Booth 3764 ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner.

R. L. HOLLISTER, Assistant Examiner.

1. COLLECTING MEANS COMPRISING A BODY MEANS, SUPPORT MEANS OPERATIVELYCONNECTED WITH SAID BODY MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID BODY MEANS FORMOVEMENT ALONG A SUPPORTING SURFACE, SAID BODY MEANS INCLUDING A FORWARDPORTION AND A REARWARD PORTION, FIRST SEPARATING MEANS MOUNTED AT THEFORWARD PORTION OF SAID BODY MEANS AND COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SPACEDMEMBERS, SECOND SEPARATING MEANS DISPOSED REARWARDLY OF SAID FIRSTSEPARATING MEANS AND COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SPACED MEMBERS, THESPACING OF THE MEMBERS OF THE FIRST SEPARATING MEANS SERVING TOELIMINATE SOLID BODIES WHICH ARE TOO LARGE AND THE SPACING OF THEMEMBERS OF THE SECOND SEPARATING MEANS BEING SPACED SO AS TO ELIMINATESOLID BODIES WHICH ARE TOO SMALL, WHEREBY THE COLLECTING MEANS SERVES TOCOLLECT ONLY SOLID BODIES WITHIN A CERTAIN SIZE RANGE, SAID BODY MEANSINCLUDING A PORTION FOR RECEIVING ALL OF THE COLLECTED SOLID BODIESWITHIN SAID SIZE RANGE FROM WHERE THE SOLID BODIES ARE REMOVED FROM THECOLLECTING MEANS.